Re: BOTM: 5/12 Evan Williams Single Barrel

So far, I've had '93, '96, '97, '98, '00, and '01. The '93 has a bit of that rummy flavor that I associate with older bourbons. The '97 is the most well rounded and enjoyable on its own. The others are interesting in that they tend to highlight a particular aspect of the HH profile. Interesting, but not completely satisfying. I wish these were 100 proof as HH juice tends to sing at higher proofs, but they're still enjoyable for what they are. I just have to follow them up with something else.

-Brian-

"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it."
-Agent Kay

Re: BOTM: 5/12 Evan Williams Single Barrel

Originally Posted by Brisko

Would you say that there is more variation from year to year than there is from barrel to barrel within the same year? Because my very limited experience is that even within the same vintage, different barrels show a fair amount of variation.

I've found some slight variation in different barrels from the same year, as would be expected, but it seems that each vintage is fairly distinct from other vintages. Chuck sums it up nicely...

"The great thing about this series is that while the basic profile stays the same there is enough variation from year to year so that you look forward to each new release. EWSBV is an annual harvest of the best 9-year-old bourbon in Heaven Hill's warehouses. Because of that it is much more true to the traditional meaning of 'vintage' than most other annual releases."

So far, I've had '93, '96, '97, '98, '00, and '01. The '93 has a bit of that rummy flavor that I associate with older bourbons. The '97 is the most well rounded and enjoyable on its own. The others are interesting in that they tend to highlight a particular aspect of the HH profile. Interesting, but not completely satisfying. I wish these were 100 proof as HH juice tends to sing at higher proofs, but they're still enjoyable for what they are. I just have to follow them up with something else.

For 100 proof try the Henry McKenna single barrel. 10 years old and I think even better than the EWSB.

Re: BOTM: 5/12 Evan Williams Single Barrel

Originally Posted by Kyjd75

For 100 proof try the Henry McKenna single barrel. 10 years old and I think even better than the EWSB.

I'd like to pick that one up for a try. Just haven't gotten around to it yet.
Playing around with some vattings of EWSB could be a lot of fun. I tried mixing all of the ones I have open one evening in equal proportions and the result tasted like cologne.

-Brian-

"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it."
-Agent Kay

Re: BOTM: 5/12 Evan Williams Single Barrel

Originally Posted by mosugoji64

I tried mixing all of the ones I have open one evening in equal proportions and the result tasted like cologne.

I did the same once. I mixed all the bourbons I had in small little parts (25 at the time) and it tasted terrible. I discovered that you really need a core whiskey to comprise at least 50% of the mix. After that, you can mix as many whiskeys as you want in small bits. The results are better when you mix similar flavor profiles. Sometimes it seems that one flavor profile might balance another, but sometimes it masks or replaces the other. It can be a lot of fun....and it can waste quite a bit of whiskey. So I recommend using sampler bottles to test before vatting larger amounts.

Re: BOTM: 5/12 Evan Williams Single Barrel

Just finished off a bottle of EWSB 2001. Honestly, I thought it was one of the best bourbons out there for under $30.

A little too straightforward, perhaps-- but ample notes of vanilla, clove and mint tea-- which is pretty much the distillery character of HH. But it had a very mellow texture that made it very sip-able, and will probably serve as my means of introducing my friends to decent bourbon (I used to use Basil Hayden's for this, but that stuff is getting really pricey!).

I felt like I got more than my money's worth, which is more than I can say for a lot of stuff out there...